Aircraft safety apparatus



July .14, 1936. SEITZ 2,047,496

AIRCRAFT SAFETY APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1952 IN VENTOR H IS ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1936 '1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,047,496 AIRCRAFT SAFETY APPARATUS Ralph Seitz, Chicago, 111.

Application February 2, 1932, Serial No. 590,467

4 Claims. (Cl. 244-21) This invention relates tocertain novel improveing shrouds 23 which are attached to the paraments in aircraft safety apparatus, and has for chute 25. The parachute 25 is normally folded its principal object the provision of an improved into a small bundle which has its ends inserted construction of this character which will be highly under straps 26 that are attached to frame I9.

eificient in use and economical in manufacture. Attached to frame I9 are projecting elements 5 It is the primary object of this invention to 21 and 28 which are receivable, respectively, in provide new and efiicient safety apparatus for the slots I5 and I1 in chair I2 when the person is use by the occupant of an aircraft. seated in said chair I2.

Other objects of the invention are: to provide A casing 29 having an open front 30 is ata novel aircraft chair and detachable back rest tached to the legs I4 of the chair I2, in any suit- 10 or panel therefor; to provide new, improved and able manner, and this casing 29 receives the efficient means for releasably holding a parachute panel l8 when the occupant is in the chair I2. in folded position to the panel or back rest of the The casing 29 has a hinged top 3|. chair; to provide new and efficient means for re- Retaining the ends of the parachute bundle leasably attaching the panel or back rest to said under straps 26 is a rod 32 which is inserted l5 chair; to provide new and effective means for rethrough rings 31 on the straps 26. Hinged, as at leasing the parachute from said holding means 33, to the rod 32 is an arm 34 having a handle and out of folded position; and. to provide the 35; the arm 34 and handle 35 projecting over novel combination of elements hereinafter dethe top of panel I8. The arm 34 and rod 32 2o scribed and set forth in the appended claims. are urged toward each other by a spring 36.

Other objects will appear hereinafter. The ends of the parachute bundle are tucked The invention consists in the novel combination under the straps 2B and the rod 32 is inserted and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter dethrough the rings 31 on straps 26. The projectscribed and claimed. ing elements 21 and 28 are then inserted into the The invention Will be best understood y refslots I5 and I1 respectively and the panel l8 into 25 erence the accompanying drawing, Showing the casing 29 through the open side of the the preferred form of construction and in which: tt whereupon th h r e 2| may b placed Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of an loosely on t body as i d tt d line position of airplane showing the invention in side elevation; The arm 34- is t, t ti folded b k 30 Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the inven- Substantially parallel to arm 32 as in 1 30 tion; In case of emergency the occupant of the chair 3 is perspectiYe detail View of chair and attaches the separable straps of the body harness panel housing embodled in the invent-Ion; about his person, rises and thereby lifts the ele- 4 is a perspective View of the Seat panel ments 21 and 28 out of the slots I5 and I1, re-

and parachute-holding and releasing means; speetively' While at the Same time the hinged 35 5 is a plan View of the seat panel para door 3| of casing 29 is opened by upward move- P i means;.and ment of panel I8 whereupon the spring 36 throws f f z f g Vlew the parachute the arm 34 into dotted line position of Fig. 1

40 In the drawing, which illustrates a preferred zg z zfi gi g gfi 33 2 g fi gi ig 40 and practical embodiment of the invention, I 0 indicates a fragment of a conventional type of aircraft having a floor I I. On the floor I I I stationarily mount a chair I2 which includes a conventional seat I3. The chair I2 includes a pair of upright legs I4 in the upper end of each of which is provided a slot I5 and extending bet en the le s I4 is a brace rod I6 which is rochute is thus opened fi with agpair f Spaced Slots p While I have illustrated and described the The back rest or panel for the chair I2 is in- Preferred form of f for carrylrlg m 5 dicated generally at I8 and includes a frame |9 invention into efiect, th1s is capable of variation to which is attached a cushion 2!). Attached to and modification, W u p t n from t the frame I 9 is a body harness 2| which includes sp r of t v n- I, t o do n t w s body-encircling straps 22 and 22a to which may to be limited to the precise details of construcbe attached other straps 24; said straps carrytion set forth, but desire to avail myself of such 55 grasps and lifts upwardly on handle 35 and thereby slides the rod 32 upwardly out of the rings 31 on straps 26, whereupon air currents flowing in and about the parachute bundle and between 45 the same and panel I8 force the ends of the parachute out from under the straps 26 and the paravariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. Aircraft safety apparatus, comprising the combination of a chair including upright legs, a casing attached to said chair having an open side and a hinged top, a detachable back rest or panel for said chair receivable in said casing through said open side and releasable therefrom through said hinged top, means cooperating with said legs for releasably latching said panel thereto, a body harness attached to said panel, a parachute, means for releasably holding said parachute in folded position on said panel, and means for releasing said parachute from said parachute-holding means.

2. In an aircraft safety device, a chair having a detachable seat back, a casing fastened to the chair, a parachute arranged in folded condition upon the back side of said seat back and within said casing, said seat back having straps fastened thereto and arranged for encircling the parachute to hold the same in its folded condition adjacent the seat back, said straps being provided with ring means, a rod arranged to pass through said ring means for holding the straps in a supporting condition about the parachute, a manually operable member pivotally connected with said rod spring means tending to swing said manually operable member across the shoulder of a person leaning against the said seat back, said manually operable member being normally positioned within said casing and positioned out of reach of the occupant of the chair by its engagement with the casing, and means for connecting the seat back with the occupant, to permit the seat back to be removed from the chair and out of said casing, said manually operable member swinging over the shoulder of the occupant when the manually operable member is moved out of engagement with the casing, to permit the occupant to pull the rod out of said ring means for releasing the parachute.

3. An aircraft safety device comprising a seat including a back, said back being detachably connected with the seat, a housing carried by the seat adjacent said back, a parachute releasably connected with said back and being arranged within said housing, and means for connecting the back with an occupant of the seat, said back being disconnected from the seat when the occupant leaves the seat and said parachute being removed from the housing with the detachment of the back from the seat.

4. An airplane safety apparatus comprising a chair including a detachable back rest, means for fastening the back rest to an occupant of the chair, a normally folded parachute, means for detachably connecting the parachute with said back rest, and a housing carried by the chair and enclosing the parachute, said parachute being removed from the housing when the back rest is separated from the chair through the movement of the occupant therefrom.

RALPH SEITZ. 

